February 8, 2017

20 years back, online shopping was not the norm amongst consumers. Whenever the buyer needed to get something, they will head to the shop. It quite troublesome if you need to get variety stuff, then you will need to head to a different shop. It was simple like that, until Teleshopping emerged. Even then, the Teleshopping was not something that was easy – it was riddled with endless TV advertisements, the hassle of having to call in to a hotline, the wait to put in an order, and the horror of them all –the payment, which had to be done through bank transfer.

It is of no wonder that teleshopping never really resonated with Malaysians; after all, it was not a cheap affair as most of the products were brought in from abroad, thus incurring great shipping and other third party costs.

The Present

Online shopping has become something of a novelty, thanks to the advent of innovationand also technology. These catalysts have enabled e-commerce to thrive, especially in a new market such as Malaysia.

The truth about the online shopping

More than 3,500 respondents, around 83% of them have shopped online before, with 1 female shopperfor every 0.73 male shopper ( a Nationwide survey conducted by 11street).

A nationwide survey conducted by 11street

In fact, this belief applies for East Malaysian shoppersas well. The survey results also showed that those in Sabah and Sarawak are more likely to purchase items online than those in Peninsular Malaysia. Due to the rising awareness of online shopping, potential deals and discounts, people are becoming increasingly attracted to the lure that is e-commerce. Additionally, the growth of infrastructure such as more payment gateways and faster deliveries will definitely make it easier for Malaysians from every nook and corner to indulge in online shopping.

Online shopping has an array of benefits ranging from competitive prices, exclusive products and even a guaranteed return policy. These are just some of the reasons cited by Malaysians as they look forward to their online shopping experience. In a time dominated by the presence of the Internet, mobile phones and applications, e-commerce has taken a precedence with today’s Malaysians.

The Malaysian Online Shoppers

With almost60% of Malaysians shopping online once a month,it can be safely assumed that consumers are becoming more and more comfortable with online shopping. This number will continue to grow.

Lifestyle, standardised and fast-moving goods categories such as fashion and beauty, electronics as well as sports and hobbies will continue to enjoy high engagement rates in the coming years to come, but consumers are expressing their interest in exploring less-famous categories such as home and décor,household and groceries, and even health and supplements. Hence, as online shopping gains interest in the next few months amongst Malaysian consumers, it is predicted that daily essentials, personal and home and living items such as groceries, furniture and health supplement will soon become common products purchased online.

The Future

Future potential with Malaysians non-online shoppers

The e-commerce market, especially in Malaysia, is bullish with non-online shoppers expected to hop aboard the online shopping bandwagon as a measure to save cost, enjoy the ease of having a wide variety of product categories at their fingertips, and keep up with the trend.

While shopping has always been synonym with women, 11street’ssurvey revealed men will be two times more likely to shop online. With this, it is also noted that e-commerce product categories such as sports and automotive are set to take over. This means, no more going to the workshop to change those squeaky wipers or going to the sports store to try on that pair of shoes. Connectivity will enable convenience especially for the busy consumers.

Consumer Experience And Expectations

While it may not seem like it was too long ago since the first ever item was bought online, the e- commerce sphere has definitely evolved in the past 20 years. Today, thee-tailing business shows no sign of slowing down; rather, it is continuously growing as new digital solutions are being developed and online retailers are coming up with new and innovative ways to meet their online customers’ needs.

With that being said, it looks like a hopeful 2017 for online shopping. The never ending strive for better infrastructure will eventually lead to a fully digitalised nation. As most things from groceries to car parts can be purchased online, it is only a matter of time before technology takes over and adds more comfort into our lives. We look towards 2017, and beyond.